Political assassinations: new facet of Venezuela’s regime

By Aleksander Boyd

London 08 Oct. 04 – The case of Silvino Bustillos is one for the history books. A source with the Division of Military Intelligence (DIM) leaked the information about Bustillos’ assassination to Manuel Isidro Molina last Sunday 31 October. Molina did not want to publish the information then, waiting for confirmation. Two days later his source called again to ‘confirm’. A few days after Bustillos kidnap, Alejandro Peña Esclusa denounced that Bustillos had been missing for some days and no one knew of his whereabouts. Furthermore the lawyer investigating the kidnap on behalf of the Bustillos family went to the DIM HQ to check whether or not the retired Colonel was kept there.

To his surprise he found out that Bustillos had not been seen there, moreover he was informed that National Guard Lieutenant Danny Alfredo Daniels Perez –Bustillos captor- did not work for the DIM.

Other sources within the government commented upon the issue stating that on the very same day he was kidnapped, he was killed due to a vicious beating. The DIM was then presented with the dilemma of the disposal of the body.

When the information, thanks to Molina’s alert, reached the public, Minister of Defence Julio Garcia Carneiro threatened Molina with an investigation to which he allegedly replied “so instead of investigating the disappearance of Bustillos you are looking to silence me with a lawsuit? Do your job and inform the country upon the whereabouts and physical conditions of Bustillos”.

But who is Manuel Isidro Molina?

Son of one of the founders of the Communist Party of Venezuela (PCV), Molina is a journalist who in the past presided Venezuela’s Congress Media Commission. He has also chaired “El Colegio Nacional de Periodistas” Venezuela’s journalist association. His political career has always been associated with the left of the political spectrum, resigning some years ago from the national directorate of Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) owing to rampant corruption within the party. He campaigned very strongly for Hugo Chavez prior to the latter’s election to the presidency. Can he be considered as your average Venezuelan opposition smearing politico? Most definitely not, although readers won’t find that out reading Venezuelanalysis.

Therefore whilst a jubilant Chavez pays homage to his revered and ailing idol in Havana, and continues with his nonsense of fixing relations with the USA, his security apparatus beats to death political opponents. Surely that’s a way to demonstrate his democratic credentials to Fidel!!

Garcia Carneiro expressed on state TV today that he had spoken with the phantom Lieutenant Perez, who some days ago did not form part of the DIM, reassuring that he trusted the version given by Perez and that a thorough investigation had already been ordered. Previous ‘thorough investigations’ commissioned by Garcia Carneiro include the assassination by the FARC of six soldiers and a PDVSA engineer in the border with Colombia and the infamous burning of soldiers at Fort Mara. To date no one has been charged and no one has been arrested in either of the aforementioned cases.

Manuel Isidro Molina though, should be getting a summon, from the State's top legal dog, Danilo Anderson any time now...